


Love Not Forgotten

by natsbyfan



Category: The Great Gatsby (2013)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Jay and Nick are awkward, M/M, Nick struggles with his feelings for gatsby, Protective!Gatsby, Tom's a dick, they're also oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-04-23 15:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14335554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natsbyfan/pseuds/natsbyfan
Summary: After Myrtle's death Tom decides to get revenge on Gatsby in a different way- by killing someone he cares about. AU that starts after Daisy hits Myrtle with the car.





	1. Chapter 1

Myrtle was dead. Tom didn’t want to believe it, he couldn’t. He loved her, maybe not as much as Daisy, but he still loved her and it hurt. The moment he found out it was Gatsby who had hit Myrtle with his car, Tom knew he would get revenge on him. He briefly considered manipulating Wilson into shooting him, but simply killing him didn’t seem like punishment enough. Tom wanted to hurt Gatsby the same way that he had hurt him- by killing someone he loved. Clearly, Tom could see Gatsby loved Daisy, but obviously he wasn’t planning on killing her. He was planning on moving to another state with her, though, once he found someone else Gatsby cared for- because he knew there had to be someone else- so that once Tom and Daisy were gone, Gatsby would be utterly alone. That in itself would be a fate worse than death.

Tom decided not to rush his plan nor to tell anyone that he knew who was driving the car. Although, he had a suspicion the police did know it was Gatsby and had simply pretended not to know, as they never would have ended up arresting him anyway, what with all of Gatsby’s ties with the police. Tom was also trying to find someone Gatsby was close to, he had even sent over one of his servants to spy on Gatsby to see who he hung out with. Much to Tom’s delight Daisy hadn’t even been remotely interested in going to Gatsby’s after the car accident. Instead, she spent the majority of the day snuggled next to Tom, who didn’t complain. 

After two weeks of this, Tom decided to ask his servant if he had seen anyone with Gatsby over the past couple weeks. The servant admitted that at the beginning of the two weeks Gatsby was locked up in a room, no doubt distraught over Daisy not being interested in him anymore, when a man went into the house.The servant saw him leave once, only to return to the mansion with a small suitcase. After a few days of not seeing either man, they finally started taking walks outside with one another and Gatsby seemed to be getting happier and happier every day. The man stopped spending the night at Gatsby’s house after a week, but he still visited almost every day. 

While the servant recounted what he had seen, Tom could feel his smile getting bigger and bigger. It was perfect of course, Tom was going to be able to take away the person that was able to make Gatsby feel happy again after basically being forgotten by Daisy. 

“That is perfect! Who exactly is this person?”

The servant hesitated slightly, as he liked the man and Tom certainly looked like he was up to no good, “It’s- it’s Daisy’s cousin, sir. Nick Carraway.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick stays at Gatsby's house and the two get closer. Meanwhile, Tom furthers his revenge plan.

It had been three days since the Myrtle incident and Gatsby hadn’t heard anything from Daisy. Not even a call to see if he was doing okay or a ‘thank you’ for taking responsibility for hitting Myrtle, when it had been Daisy who had been driving. Gatsby had never felt so heartbroken, he didn’t even have the energy to leave his house. 

Despite his reclusive behavior, there was one person who seemed to care- Nick Carraway. Gatsby will admit that when he was making his plan of getting to Daisy he never, not once, would have guessed that Daisy would eventually ignore him and Nick, the man he had essentially used, would be the one trying to put him back together again. The night of the accident Gatsby had told Nick everything- how Daisy had been the one to run over Myrtle and all the things he had previously lied about before regarding his past. Nick listened and looked at Gatsby as though he were the most interesting man he had ever seen. The next day, Nick had gone to work and Gatsby had locked himself away, trying desperately to get a hold of Daisy by calling nearly every hour. Each time, a servant would inform him that Daisy was “unavailable at the moment”, and maybe it would be best if he would “please stop calling”. Gatsby had never felt his dignity sink so low since moving to New York. After spending most of the day in bed, thinking constantly about Daisy, he really didn’t expect to see anyone else for the rest of the day. That is, until Nick showed up after work, gently let himself into Gatsby’s home, knocked on Gatsby’s bedroom door and waited patiently until Gatsby dragged himself out of bed to unlock the door. Before Nick had even gotten completely into Gatsby’s room, Gatsby had begun crying silently and shaking ever so slightly. Nick gently wrapped his arms around him and let Gatsby cry to him about Daisy. 

After that, Nick had taken the next few days off of work and stayed in Gatsby’s mansion, in the room next door to Gatsby. The next few days were pretty much the same as the first, only this time Nick was able to stop Gatsby from calling Daisy so much and Gatsby now had someone to talk to. 

After three days of hearing nothing from Daisy, Nick suggested they go outside for a walk. Gatsby decided he would be up for that and so they walked along Gatsby’s beach together. 

“I uh, I never thanked you for staying with me, Old Sport. You really didn’t have to do that,” Gatsby had never been that great at expressing his gratitude to people, but he truly didn’t know what he would have done without Nick. 

“It’s not a big deal, Gatsby. You’re my friend, I’ll always be here for you,” Nick replied shyly. Gatsby thought he saw Nick’s face turn red, but he quickly told himself he had imagined that. Nick and Gatsby walked side by side in comfortable silence until Nick asked a question, “You consider me a real friend, don’t you?”

Gatsby could tell Nick had mustered up quite a bit of courage to ask him that, but he was at a loss as to why, “Of course, Old Sport. Why do you ask?” 

This time Gatsby didn’t think he imagined the blush spreading on Nick’s cheeks. “It’s nothing. It’s dumb, just forget it. We should probably head back to the house now.” 

Nick turned around and started heading back to the house when Gatsby stopped and grabbed Nick’s hand, “Whatever it is, Nick, it’s not “nothing” please tell me.” 

“It’s just… now that Daisy’s not really in the picture I suppose you don’t need me…” Nick mumbled, staring off into the distance. 

What is Nick talking about? Oh… OH. Gatsby suddenly realized that because he hadn’t said any different Nick assumed that he only continued to associate with him because of his relation to Daisy. To be fair that had been his initial plan, but after getting to know him, he had come to consider Nick his best friend. “Of course not! I consider you my best friend. You are one of the best men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Please forgive me for making you think that.” Gatsby hesitated slightly before pulling Nick into a brief hug, gently squeezing him. 

======================================================================  
Nick stayed at Gatsby’s house for about a week, until Gatsby seemed a bit more stable, before reluctantly telling Gatsby that he should probably be going back to his house and work. If Nick didn’t know any better he would say that Gatsby looked disappointed, but he probably just imagined that. There was no way Gatsby even remotely felt the same way about Nick that Nick felt towards Gatsby. 

He wasn’t sure when he fell in love with Gatsby, if Nick had to guess he would say that it had been the second or third time they had hung out together. Although he felt very attracted towards Gatsby the day he met him. Nick sighed, there was no way Gatsby had enough room in his heart to ever love him. He would have to be satisfied as friends. 

Nick continued to stop at Gatsby’s house nearly every day after work. Gatsby certainly seemed to be feeling much better over the whole Daisy situation, much to Nick’s relief. In fact, Nick couldn’t recall the last time Daisy had even been mentioned in a conversation- at least three days- and it had been a week since Gatsby had even tried getting in contact with Daisy. Nick and Gatsby had connected so much over the past two weeks, it almost seemed to Nick nothing bad would ever happen again.  
======================================================================  
Tom had been shocked to hear that Nick was the one who had been staying at Gatsby’s. Although, thinking back, maybe it shouldn’t have been that much of a shock to him. The way Nick’s face would harden whenever Tom would say anything remotely negative about Gatsby, and Gatsby’s low, protective growl “He’s got nothing to do with it.” If Tom had to guess he would say that they did love one another, but didn’t realize it. 

It was honestly a bit disappointing to Tom that it had to be Nick. They had been good friends in college and, while their friendship had been pretty strained after he married Daisy, it was nearly impossible to hate the guy. But, if it ended up hurting Gatsby, that’s really all that mattered. There was just one more person Tom needed to get involved for this to work.  
======================================================================  
“...so you really think this plan will work?” George Wilson asked.

“Yes, I’m sure...do you want revenge or not?” Tom asked impatiently.

“When should I come by?”

Tom grinned, “Stop by tomorrow at 3 and we’ll discuss more details then.”  
======================================================================  
Although Wilson had seemed more interested in just killing Gatsby at first, Tom had convinced him that killing Nick would hurt Gatsby more than simply putting a bullet in his brain would. Wilson was dumber than a bag of rocks and couldn’t think for himself, so he quickly agreed to go along with plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by this weekend. Thanks to everyone who left kudos/comments!


	3. Chapter 3

Nick was prepared to go to Gatsby’s mansion once again that week. He knew it was stupid, but everytime he got ready to visit Gatsby, his heart sped up and he felt nervous. Nick almost wished his feelings for the other man would go away, but so far there were no signs of that happening anytime soon. Daisy still hadn’t been mentioned in a single conversation Nick and Gatsby had with one another and, while Nick was grateful for this, he also wished he could find out if Gatsby was still in love with Daisy. Yes, Nick knew that two weeks was not enough time for someone to move on from someone they had loved for five years. However, he just wanted to know if Gatsby was trying to move on from her or if she would always remain the one that he loved, despite her betrayal. 

It almost felt weird letting himself into Gatsby’s home and only seeing one servant, but Nick knew that particular servant was the only one Gatsby had trusted when he started having an affair with Daisy, and he probably didn’t have the energy to hire any more. 

When Nick saw Gatsby he was pleased to see the other man looked extremely well rested, as Gatsby hadn’t been getting that much sleep over the past weeks. 

“Hello, Old Sport! Come sit down.”

So Nick sat down across from Gatsby and the two began talking. A little into the conversation Gatsby cleared his throat and awkwardly asked, “I really appreciate you coming over here everyday, Old Sport…. I really hope it isn’t interrupting your, uh, personal life in any way- with Jordan I mean.” Gatsby could feel his face burning at having mentioned Nick and Jordan’s relationship, but he was really curious in finding out what was going on between the two. Not that it mattered, of course.

Nick hesitated slightly before answering, “We ended our relationship about a month ago, we both agreed we were better off as friends.” In truth, Nick revealed to Jordan that he was gay and Jordan told him that she was a lesbian. So it wasn’t a total lie, they were better off as friends.

Gatsby felt a mix of guilt at not knowing something like that about Nick sooner, and… relief? He had no idea why, and he quickly pushed that emotion aside. “I’m sorry to hear that, Old Sport.” He wasn’t all that sorry to hear it.

After Gatsby inquired about Jordan, Nick wondered if it would be okay for him to find out something about Daisy and Gatsby, “I uhh, I hope you are coping okay, what with the situation with Daisy and all,” Nick internally cringed and hoped he hadn’t hurt Gatsby in any way by bringing Daisy up. 

Gatsby was a bit surprised that Nick asked about Daisy as the two had seemed to mentally agree to not talk about her and, in truth, Gatsby had no idea how he felt about Daisy. He supposed he still loved her. “I still love her, I think there is something I can do to try to get her back. I just need to think of something,” 

“I see,” was all Nick could get out. It was no surprise of course, but it hurt him so much more than he thought it would- he could feel his heart breaking. Gatsby changed the subject and Nick was relieved. 

An hour later Nick left and Gatsby did his best to ignore any thoughts about Nick he was having. Nick was just his friend after all, and it would remain that way. Nick would never feel anything other than friendship towards him and Gatsby was certain he was still in love with Daisy anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos :) I'll try to get the next chapter up whenever I can!


	4. Chapter 4

After having one of the roughest days at work, Nick couldn’t wait to arrive back home and just sleep. He decided to call Gatsby and let him know that he wouldn’t be able to stop by. Gatsby said he understood and Nick was quick to let him know that he would definitely be at his house the next day. Nick slowly got into bed and thought about Gatsby again, he knew one of these days he was going to slip and reveal to Gatsby how he felt. He hated to think of what would happen after that. Would Gatsby turn him in for being gay? No, he wouldn’t. Still… Would Gatsby hate him? Would he want to stop being friends? Whatever his reaction, Nick knew Gatsby would never love him back. 

A knock came at the door, Nick climbed back out of bed and walked towards the door. He doubted it was Gatsby, as Nick had called and told him he would be sleeping. Daisy was not only ignoring Gatsby, but Nick as well, so he doubted it was her. He and Jordan had called off their relationship, but they were still friends, so perhaps it was Jordan. When he pulled back the door he was met face to face with a man he recognized as Myrtle’s husband, Wilson. Before Nick could say anything he watched, too late, as the man swung back and hit him in the head with a blunt object.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter! It's been awhile since I've updated and I wanted to get something out before I get into the more action filled parts. Thanks for your continued support!


	5. Chapter 5

A couple of hours after Nick had called Gatsby, Gatsby heard three loud knocks at the door. He frowned, Nick would have let himself in, and he couldn’t think of anyone else it could be. The one servant Gatsby still had that he actually trusted went to the door, only to find that nothing was there but a letter. The servant quickly brought the letter to Gatsby. The outside of the letter was blank but there was a note inside, Gatsby went from curious to furious as he read the letter:

“You took away the one person I loved, prepare to feel the same. If you want to see them again, meet at the location (directions are on the back of the card) at 7 tonight. Don’t try to get the police involved. You are being watched.”

That was all the card said, except for the directions on the back, and while Gatsby knew it must be the husband of Myrtle, Wilson, he couldn’t figure out who would have told him that he loved Daisy. True, the card hadn’t gone flat out and said who it was, but there was no way it was anyone but Daisy. However, only a few people had known about their affair and he couldn’t imagine anyone of them working with Wilson to hurt Daisy.   
======================================================================When Nick finally woke up, his head was throbbing painfully and he found he couldn’t move his arms or legs. He quickly realized that he was bound tightly to a chair with thick ropes, he tried desperately to free himself but he knew it was useless. Who would be trying to do this to him? He didn’t have any enemies at work and he barely had a social life. Nick was left feeling clueless. He decided to just get a feel for his surroundings, he was in some sort of warehouse. It was cold and had dim lighting, there was also a couple different doors. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around… oh wait. Nick could just barely make out a silhouette of someone standing in the distance. 

All of a sudden Nick heard a maniac laugh followed by, “Finally you’re awake.”

The man was getting closer and Nick thought he recognized his voice, but he wasn’t sure from where. Then, the man completely revealed himself, and Nick immediately recognized him as Wilson, he was holding a gun. What the hell..? 

 

“Why did you kidnap me?” Nick demanded, “you’re going to go to jail for this, for god’s sakes.” 

“Hopefully you’re not trying to say you think you’ll be alive after all this to tell the police anything,” Wilson said smiling down at him.

Nick shivered and looked around wondering what was going to happen, “You still haven’t answered my question: Why did you kidnap me?” 

Wilson opened his mouth to respond when a side door opened and another man entered…. Nick wanted to cry with relief when he saw who it was, “Tom! Tom! Please help me!”

Nick’s blood turned to ice when Tom ignored his cries for help and instead stood next to Wilson. “Glad you’re awake, Nick. I’m sure you’re pretty confused right now,” Tom said.

“Tom, you’re a part of this? What the hell is going on?” Nick asked, feeling nervous once again.

“Look, Nick, it’s really nothing personal against you. Gatsby ran down Myrtle and I’m just trying to help Wilson here get revenge. It’s clear that Gatsby has started to really care about you. He’ll be all alone when you’re gone,” Tom paused, giving Nick a sympathetic look, ”I really wish it wasn’t you, but unfortunately he seems to like you alot.”

Nick tried to wrap his mind around the new information, but all he could think about was how mistaken Tom was, Gatsby would not be that broken without him. Gatsby didn’t need Nick the same way Nick needed him. “If you think my death will affect him, you’re wrong.” Nick spat back angrily.

“Well, he should be here soon, so we’ll just let him decide that,” Tom responded flatly.

Nick’s eyes widened as he once more struggled desperately to untie himself. “Don’t you dare hurt him, Tom. Don’t you fucking dare,” Nick tried to look as intimidating as possible, but it’s pretty hard when you’re tied to a chair and have no weapon. 

“Stop struggling, Nick, it’s going to get you nowhere. As for Gatsby, no promises, but for right now we’re just planning on killing you. Although, perhaps it would make sense to kill both of you.” Tom was clearly trying to get another rise out of Nick, when they heard a voice from the distance that sounded like Gatsby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! I appreciate everyone's patience :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! Should have the next one up soon- it'll be a longer chapter too. Let me know what you think :)


End file.
